Fbancisque million



Il I i i gulf@ f gement. @Hiep vFR mints/Qun M1LLI0N, 0F Pin-1s. FRANCE.

' Letters Patent No. `63,416, dated April 2, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT m ess ENGINE.

Specification of improvements in Hot-Air and Gus Engines invented by Fnsucrscuu MILLION, of Pars, in the Empire -of France, y

- Introduction. I All engines of this general character, as usuellyI constructed, involve very greve detects oy reason of the moons commonly employed'for heating or iguiting the air and gases toproduce the necessury expansive force. `.Among these defects ure the following: In euses--where'the fire is applied outside of the engine,`liko the l munnerpractisedvwith steam engires,'heaters of enormous size are required, owing to the large extent of'heeting surfucerequired. In cases where the fire 'is spplied'uside 'of the engine, as usually practised in some gus engines, its proper management has been 'found 'a matter of' no little difficulty, and the v vorltin,'. ,r of the parte has' been impeded hy the' impurities of thegus and the products of ,combustion which in'd their my into or form in the cylinder." Theohject'oi' this invention is to overcome these :liiliculte's by menus of on engine capable of eicientlyburniug internally gases prepared for combustion by the udmixture of s proper proportion of atmospheric air, and said inventionconsists in the improvements hereinafter more fully described and not forth. f -v .Description of the Brau/inge. In the accompanying drnvrings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my machine.- figure v2 is u plan orloricontul view oi" the same, showin gialle driving-cylinder, cylinder-heads, vnlvew'hest, valves, end some other parts in section.

Figure 3 is u vertical transverse section of the driving-cylinder, pumps, and some other parte. l Figure 4.is u vertical longitudinal section of the pipe und apparatus, in which the different gases are mixed on. their wayto the' vclvschest.

' Figure 5 is a vertical section taken through tho centre of the pipes a und b', (iig. 4,) and showingmore clearly the construction of the sppsratus for dividing b'oth the gas and-nir into veins or thin sheets, V,und interpolsting the veins of gus *ith the corresponding vein-s of airus they pass into the open or unobstructed portion 1 of the pipe.

Figure 6 is s central section of thedrivmg-pi'ston and a'partof the moin cylinder, showing the device for pusslng the electric current through the cylind`er-heud und igniting the gases inside of the cylinder.

`Figure 7 is u detail view, showing the construction of parte for connecting the wire which conveys elec. tricity ihto the drivingcylinder to ignite the gases, with s. wire connected with un electrical battery. y Figure 8 is u central section of un auxiliary valve-box or pipe, to be'pluced onthe nsin valve-chest, sud provided with slack-vulves to prevent the'return of the combustible gases through the pipes lending the v valve-chest when the spark in the cylinder ignite: the gases.

Figure Q r'epresents an arrangement' in which there ure two sepsrntereceivers inlwhichthe gas snduir used are received frorn the pumps, one pf which receivers is connected to one end of the drivin g-cylinder, and the other with the other end, euch of the pumps being double acting.

Figure 10 represents an arrangement of'psrts by which the gases are fire'd in un auxiliary cylinder, und conducted in an expanded state to the driving-cylinder, whore the effect of such expansion is utilized. It also shows the mode of lining the combustion-cylinder.

General i n the drawings, hgs. 2, 3, 6, and 9, G is the mitin or driving-cylinder o f the engiue, which cylinder is siipplied with a mixture of atmospheric nir and inflammable gas by means ci' two pumps, A 'and B, the Asigner supplying air, und therluttc supplying gus. In the arrangement represented in ge. l., 2, and 8, the piston rods of these pumps are connected directly by means vof the cross-heud R to the 'piston-rod of the drivingoylinder,`lnd"sre moved by it. This cylinder, C, is surrounded by o casing, Q, 'which is accurately fitted tto the .cylinder nt the .ends und around the gas passages, und the joints carefully packed, us represented; leov-mg o space or openinguround the cylinder, und between it und the casing, for u current of' water to poss through for `the purpose of cooling theY cylinder. The heads of the driving-cylinder nre `elso chumbored, us showin, to allow u. siular circulation of water through th/em orthe eamepurpose; und the chxmbers in these-cylinder heads src-'so connected with 'the space be'tyveen the cylinder andsite casing, une so provided with externnlopenings, that the wnter tocoel the cylinder muy be forced into or supplied to the .chamber in the cylinder-heed ne onel end of the cylinder, ond passing between the 'cylinder nml lthe. casing ente;` ond be discharged through the ohnmber inthe 'opposite head of the cylinder. The cylinder .may also be cooled by placing n large casing around it, with on opening et the bottom of the casing and another at the top, to the latter of which it would be well 'to nttnch a chimney to conse the nir to circnlateapidly thiongh the casing to cool the cylinder. The

cylinder might nlsobe cooled by injecting in to it n.5 jet of cold noter, in whch'cnse the :miningv Q.would be dis4 penned n'ithn The cylinder C is provided with a elide-vnlve, c, opening passages into the cylinder, 'nndnout-oil; d, placed in. n. cut-off box' outside the main valve-chest, as shown; These valves may be operated by ahy df.- the appliances used to operato similar valves in steam und other gne engincsfnnd the power of this engine fis applied by means ofn.V crunk in the ordinary manner. In' constructing, and'arrnnging the moin slide-valve, I

molle it hollow throughout its sntireydiicknesn, and in tno'parts, with o. gasket or other packing between them, l

es shown, the twoparts together having suioient depth to extend from the valve-sent to the 'cover of the valvechent; and I. also Ineke an exhnnstopenin'g through the said cover, s as to allow theengino to exhaust. directly through the salve, and obyiat'e tile' necessity of an exhaust port inf/the cylinder, and at the come time in such n manner ns not to require more than the nenni single poir of pnssagcs from the sl-e-velvevinto the cylinder for the induction and educti'on of the genes. The pump supplies atmospheric nir, cs nbevente'ted, and the poing-B' furnishes combustible gus from n. gasomcter, or-othcr'aonrce of snpplyrsnid pumps discharging through` the'pd'poe a nnd b respectively into the respective branche a ond ci' the mixer, representedinl gs. 4 and 5 i t will be observed that the' construction nnd'arran'goment of the two pnn'ps and the cylinder, in -cmtnbination with eachother, is euch that one of these pumps forcesforwni'd'cenpply of or at the snmeinstsnt that the' other .forces forward a 'supply of gne, no thnt both air und gus, in their proportionate quantities, are forced into" end through the mixer simultaneously, thus insuring e'nniform mixture of the two-'elements'. F, in figs. 4 and v5,*isln diaphragm, the purpose of which is to divide the sir and the gas into thin parallel nnd interpolcted veins, and muyhe madoof a single sheet ofmetnl folded aerei-nl times on itself` in such a. manner as to'forrn-parellel passages opening nltcr-nntely, ono from the eide at' which the gne' ig admitted, and the' other from the sfide from `which the nir is received; or it maybe contrnctedof .separate sheets united by ribs placed'on the nir side end en side alternately, as shown in 5g; 5. In consequence of this.arrnngement,the-cir and the gas, on entering thezniixer, are divided into parallel and interpolated veins, which very 'much dPncilitntes their boing evenlyV mingled ivhe1i-they-como toglzther 'after passing this dinphrngm. The gan nnd'nir thus -interpelln2d $011.15! together in the-pipe c, acroseiwhich,l if 'thought desirable, wireclmns may be place'd'to perfect the mixingpl The gases thus mixed pces through the pipe c to e. pressure reservoir or acometer made-of metal, of any' desired capacity, and provided with n'soiety-valve to allow the ,gus t'o escape-when it reaches an unsafe limit.

The ga'sfrom said reservoir snbs'eqnentlypesses to the )zelve-chest through' the pipc- T, and' the nupplyto. the

y.engine is regulated by n bntltorily-valv'e and governor. in the come way thnt. the supply of ,steam to n stex'sm' engine is controlled. The mixer may be, placed in either of two di'erent'positi'one with relu'tion to other parte.

'Fir-st, itmny belooated between the pumps 'and the Arcsewroin'nn already described; second, it may lie-placed in the pipen'hich conveys the gasea ltn the driving cylinder' and near the vslvehchest, in which-case there should be two reservoirs, one to receive nir from'tlxe air-pump, und' tho-'cther'tc receive gas ,from the gea-pump. 'The 4gus, mixed with nir,t.being thus` introduced 'into the cylinder'of the engine, is ignited at. the lproperpoint'in euch stroke by means of n Rubinlor' appn'rnt'ns, or electrccl battery',' tlvhieh 'is controlled by the rod which works the cutoff' valve, The ndvnntngeil of working-the ignti'ng appnrait'us the cnt-od' wil-ibo apparent when we consider that by-suchnrrangem'ent the ignition is nccomplished'at the precise m'omht'thntlthe closing of the pnusugc is e''ectcd by the cut-oli, which insures secuitycn the one hand' ond the' earliest practicable ignition on lthe other-. Y To accomplish this purpose two ineniatedirires pass through the'eylindr. he'cdLlal represented-.nt g: in iig. 6, :ind their ends,.inside of the cylinder, are lplaced near te each other, no that' the electric spark may pass from on'c to the other to ignite the gus contained in the cylinder. These wires may. however, be connected by n piece of' plntinnm, and thegsses ignited bythe beatproduccd in it by the peeling current. These wires sie properly connected to e. Rnbin'kori nppnrntus., or other elcctriccl machine or battery,

the connection being controlled by rnecns of the lo'ppnrntns 'represented in d'et'nil in ligfl, endless distinctly shoujn in 2. In iig; 7,- B is 'n sliding iron rod connected'to the Vcnt-.cil rod ,-which operatestbe parte that open 4nud close' the ,electric circnitfl Y This 'rod carries,` on adjustable insn'lntd metallic 'button or ptop, E, 'to -which one-of the wires of -the circuit' is nttoelie'd, endone of the wires tooo'nnect -with it slidlcomplto'the cir cuit is attached to a spring' securedto tbe'tisredportion of the engine, and made adjustable bymcorl of the screw i: in iig. 7. It will readily bc perceived 'thctvby this arrangement'ns the cut-od' rod B reaches the end oF its stroke the button E, coming 'in contact with' the Spring,-1 vill close the circuit and cause the discharge of an electric spark in.tl|e cylinder, and the consequent ignition of the gas .in thnt ond of thecylinder in which the spark is discharged. It will also be obvious that by c-.imilnr connectionat the other end ofthe stroke 'of the4 t rod Btothe other end of -`the 'cylinder n corresponding ignition of the gas,.a.t the other endet the cylinder, can be produced :xt-thc proper time for the 'return stroke. Itrrill bc' well to have several lighting points in the cylinder, so ns to secure, a more simultaneous ignition of the gas, or a smdll chamber msy'bc made upon tho t.. luder bend with holes opening into the main portion of the cylinder et di'erent points, so that the gos, being ignite the mainfbody of 'the gne in the cylinder nt several diderent points et once. Tozpreven:V the increased pressure, caused bythe ignition of the gos, fromrecoiling upon -the pumps and neseiwo'irs,l und for the further sud equnlly'impor'tnnt purpose. of preventing the combustion from extending heck too fai-,jl pince in 'the pipo lending -to thcvelen-chest of the engine.' between scid 'eldia-chest end tho reservoirs and pum'ps, a. seri-air of rst ignited 'in'this veh'eznber, will ne Aorced simultan tously, or-neorly-so, through these dierent holes endl clsck-vslves, A A, ss shown'in iig. 8, scsrrnnged ss te be opened by the flow of gos to vthe driving-cylinder, I

und to be instantly closed by the ii'rst effect of the buck'prc'siure produced by the ignition ofthe gas in the cylinder. As these vulves, owingito thc sudden manner in which they nre shut, are liable to drangement, it is `:.dviscble for better security to -ploce several, sets, one behind the other :tt proper intervals, ln the pipe, so that if' one fails the nextrcsn be relied on. As u. further security ngninst theipucsn-ge of the flame to the reset-v voir and pumps, I also place n series of wire cloths, B, in the pipe just back of one of .the sets of valves. os shown-in tig. 8. '.lhese'wirewloths nre'not indispensable. but they afford sdditinnul security, and it is. n mutter of prudence to useiholn.k alt-will be obvious that by modifying, the arrangement of the slide-valve, cut-off valve, und igniting apparatus with relation to euch other, or by changing theirmovement's relatively to eaclrr other and thel driving-piston, the uction of .the ports and the eiiect of' the expansion cruised by ignition may be 'grently`modiiied; und if thearrnngement should be such that the cut-oli' v'alve would be `closed during the whole.;

time f -the ignition, the vulvesshown in tig. S would 'oe muterially relieved. if not, indeed, entirely dispensed with. For the purpose ,of lubricating the' piston und sliding-valves, and of freeing the engine from any. tur or other impurities which may be carried over into the engine by th'e gas used,'it may-be desirable to irtrccucel a small amount of witter into the gas as it is brought tothe engine, or directlyinto the engine itself. This can 'be done by means of voriousnpplianees. For thesukp of 'extending the same benefits to the pumps, it will probably be the best arrangement to introduce this Wateriby means of stop-cocks into the 4nir und gas pipes between the p umps`und the sources otsupply from which'tbe gos undV air are received, caro being token to turn them oil` when the engine is stopped; or the same thing may b e done byyery small pumps worked by the engine, and these lust would needno such attention. A hond-pump muy be used for charging the reservo .rs in4 the first instance, so as to supply the engine for the first stroke before the main pumps ore put in operation, if found necessary. The proportions of oir and combustible gus may bemodiiied to any desirable extent by means of butterfly-vulves placed in the oir and gas pipes between the pumps and the sources vof supply, und by this means the proper proportions to secure [rompt und perfect combustion in the cylinder muy olwoy be regulated..

Fig. 9 shows umodifcation, in which there is c. seperate reservoir and a. separate slide vulve for euch end of thev cylinder, the reservoir being mede of the proper -size to hold the proper amount oi' ges and sir to he vburned at a. single stroke. andthe clock or check-valves being placed between the reservoir andthe pumps, zo 'as tonllowfth'e gas to be ignited in the reservoirs. In this drawing, A is the oir-pump; B is thel gas-pump; C!

is the driving-cylinder; F F mixers; GG the reservoirs; and H the slide valves. Each reservoir is cona nected to one of the valve chests and to one end of both of the pumps. The construction and operation will be suflciently obvious without further description. v

Fig. 10 shows another modico'tiomin which s, mode of lining the combustion-cylinder, or a. portion thereof, with refractory materiels, as represented, and in which is also `ihown aimoditied mode of working the gas. In this gure, T is the driving-cylinder; \S is the slide-valve; ond M is a pipe which lends from n n auxiliary cylinder, A, where the gases -ure burned,.to the driving-cylinder. This combustion-cylinder, A, is provided at the top with s. water-chamber, C, and the lower port, where .the combustion takesplace, is lined with u. refractory nonconducting material, P, and the piston G has s. similar facing, H. In' this arrangement the gas is burned iu the lower part of the cylinder A, and the expansive for-co' is used and applied in the cylinder T,'the pistou G boing used as osimple dispiecer, and to separate the body of gas below it from that above, so as to compel w'hntevergns posses from above the-piston to the chamber below-it topass through a porous body, which, by having been itself` heated by the outgoing gus whichl has already been burned and is hot when it escapes, is

made to impart it het thus received to the incomingl'gas and prepsr it for combustion. The porous body I I may be composed of wire cloths, or plates of sheet iron, or any other suitable material which' will make the i'nterstices suiciently ne to prevent the'passage' of flume, and will yet be` sufficiently open to allow the gus to pass with sufcient freedom. It is 4placed in the pipe I, which forms n. communication between the upper -und lower portions of the cylinder A., or it may be placed in the piston G- itself. .The gas is fired in the lower part of the cylinder A by means of electricity Vintroduced through the wire L.

Y The operation of the arrangement represented in lig. 10 is' as follows: `Tint-ges and air to supply the engine src introduced through the pipes V Y, which receive them from the gasigenerstor and from ,the outside ntmeephere, or from pumps, in the manner already described with relation to figs. I, 3, and passing througbthe vulve `O and .the pipe 4M enter the upper part of the cylinder A, from which c. portion of -it passes through the pipo I und the porous heater J to the lower' part of the seme cylinder. Hoving arrived there, it is ignited at the proper moment by the electric spark, `und the amount contained iu the lower part of the cylinder below the Vpiston G will be burned and cause uri expansion, which willi-sise the valve P and force the gas under pressure into the slide-vulve chest and into the cylinder T, where its power will 'be utilized in the same manner that the power of steam isutilized in the common steam engine, and the spent gas will be discharged in the some manner that spent steam is ordinarily discharged. As the pressure on one side of the piston G is substantially the come that it is upon the other, -it is obvious thntv'to make it useful''or any purpose es s piston it must be moved automatically by.some connection with the driving-piston. This conhection should'be such es to give it two strokes for' euch one made by the driving-piston. It will be observed that those gssesbnly'whch ere below' the piston A and the heoter J will be burned,` consequently-the greatest amount4 of combustion end consequent expansion will take pince when the piston A is in its higbestposition, and the descent of this piston, by forcing the'burnt gases through tbe porous body J, und thereby cooling them, will have e tendency toc-rente a partial vacuum in this cylinder and the pipes I und M, which will close the valve and open the valve 0 tolet in fresh gna and air, which, passing through the porous heater J esthe' pistou A rises, will become heated by the'ccloric left by the burnt gases which have just passed through it, `und thus prepared for more ready and complete com'- bu'stion.' After' the closing of the valve "P, the stroke of the .piston T'vrill, of coureeQbe corr. leted by the 4 i a2 ne axpoiading foros of' tho gaines; oliooy isi the oyline and tlie paaoges' leading to it from tlie vulve P; Boch boing 'the coaythe piston A may lpi'opoxlyj"oonmnemeoiim; pwurd stroke at about the time of the commencemeo; of ootrol-t'e in oi'tlxr dxecliion by the piston-T, nu@ the ignition oi'ithe gases in thr cylinder ahoixld take place ngt about the some time. It in obyions that 'rtlla diokent arangements above descibcd involve ,oonsidoriiblo change; in falle oonstru'tion of fthe origine, bxttxliey all have certain feaures in ooxomomthough they do out ,oli of tlxe'o have olltlxe femm-os embodied in myimprovomena.

@The combastiblo material used in olltllese sylels of engines consists of. a. gas made by the' distillation of ooal orohor gs-producing s'ubstne' tho proqsa' being aiinilu'v to that of the distillation ol ornnryilinmiygtngngos with he exception that a small qufintiyof air, ond perhaps a, xnmlll quantity oi wotcr also, is introuoe'cl inta the gos-isoonoirs'gfmx'botoce in'tne process of disxilouori 'e-o s to prndx'xc i 'gno' Wmo-h is o mixture e'r combiision oi' oomaomilluminming vgara nod theol-ducts of eombuo'tion, and by-nhis means make the goo moro @ciet 4omi-ym: odily cnmbutble', will' gw being mixed after distiliotiong'fand before iz reaches the yliner of tho' engine, with' a proper quhtty of als' to morro its combus'eion and propulsiveocet complete and 'eoieazijn"l l A k- Figuro ropreaentoo-dovico for otilizingitlaoheat ,f the spons goo 'after itt-passes from the engine. In 'ig fgm'e, iS tlm pipe which bringo. 'the spoof gab from the engine is o meal or @when pipe'pierce;

wound th upper port witlolmloo; 2 che, throogb which'thegao passes into. said pipo l, by which izis conducted into a. reser"oir, ,D, containing wnteto beg-heated byhe gos. The pipe B ia open :1% the bottumand discharges to 'goov into tlxo'watemwlai'oh it iiasoeo through; ood is discharged through the pipe E. F is a supply pipe izlxiclx hri'ogo'elione'casoqwoior to tile eaervoir D. This argong'emonomov lo modied byixsing a porous body imszeoeiioi' he xoservoixgond koping it outo'ntly wei.'

Claim?. v claim ms my immolation-f 1.The' eombnotion oi' tho oyline'r (i, me pumps A ondB, the brooch receiving pes a and ond the mixorfli, in' Bucho' loonmalm tho mir mid gaa So supply the engine' shall be foi-coll multanoc'aly through 'the mixer to a'npply Ah? oylnde by the :ailzazmltrmioousl notion of the we pumps, A and E, as set fertig:

' 2.' The 'combinoionof th mixer F, rpresented io liga'. 4 nd 5, composei of a folded plate of metal,- as' lowrib, with the brooch -zpeafq'i and b', eo 'croutrnctedod arranged in ooiiboatibn with enoh othei and the fioin pipe oo to deliver ih@ gosin thaltter in thiia'., alternato loyers, as seb' forti. 5 3.'Tl1e cmlinoti'on of' tlm poxts reprosentodiix 35 L or their"equiyloieuto,' itlitlhe cut-oil'rod in suoli a nonna: rims mha elogio@ of tlm-mfom elmllibooocei-,oimultaneouoh,with tim closing f tha mt-oli' valve. lisrsmilly mi mi fon tho @sposo-oat furh A 4.. The combixgtion, imho gwbdrning engine, of 'operoso oulmtama3, epresanted in g. anlstsmiially as u to the eecb get forth,- Y i i FRANCISQUE MmLIoN.

.lliloced in tha roceivingpipo, as

'Wiihesoeisa E. Mmmm,

I. Mmmm. 

